parallel tasks

[Björn Wächter]

Hello,

I have a resource working over a longer time period on the same
task with 20% of its time. In parallel the resource should work
on other tasks using the 80% rest time. My problem is that ms
project is scheduling the other tasks behind the 20% task when I
use auto leveling. It looks like it is not possible to use the
80% rest of the resource. After auto leveling it looks like this:

|-----------------| mike[20%]
|------| mike

I would expect this result

|-----------------| mike[20%]
|--------| mike

The task takes a bit longer but is executed in parallel.
Is there an option how i can do this in ms project?

Thanks,
Björn

 

[JulieS]

Hello Björn,

Do you have Mike assigned at 80% to the other tasks? The resource
leveling command will not change resource assignment units, so if
mike is assigned at above 80% I would expect to see the result in
the first example.

If you assign Mike at 80% to the other tasks, he will not be
overallocated, assuming his max. units are 100%.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information about Microsoft Project

 

[Björn Wächter]

Hi Julie,

thanks for the quick response. I tried it with 80% and than it
works. But there is not only one task. There are many that should
run in parallel. I expected that the percent could be changed
in some way automatically.

Thanks,
Björn

Hello Björn,

Do you have Mike assigned at 80% to the other tasks? The resource
leveling command will not change resource assignment units, so if
mike is assigned at above 80% I would expect to see the result in
the first example.

If you assign Mike at 80% to the other tasks, he will not be
overallocated, assuming his max. units are 100%.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information about Microsoft Project

Hello,

I have a resource working over a longer time period on the same
task with 20% of its time. In parallel the resource should work
on other tasks using the 80% rest time. My problem is that ms
project is scheduling the other tasks behind the 20% task when I
use auto leveling. It looks like it is not possible to use the
80% rest of the resource. After auto leveling it looks like this:

|-----------------| mike[20%]
|------| mike

I would expect this result

|-----------------| mike[20%]
|--------| mike

The task takes a bit longer but is executed in parallel.
Is there an option how i can do this in ms project?

Thanks,
Björn

 

[Doctor Dave]

Hello,

I have a resource working over a longer time period on the same
task with 20% of its time. In parallel the resource should work
on other tasks using the 80% rest time. My problem is that ms
project is scheduling the other tasks behind the 20% task when I
use auto leveling. It looks like it is not possible to use the
80% rest of the resource. After auto leveling it looks like this:

|-----------------| mike[20%]
|------| mike

I would expect this result

|-----------------| mike[20%]
|--------| mike

The task takes a bit longer but is executed in parallel.
Is there an option how i can do this in ms project?

Thanks,
Björn

This can be made to work. What granularity are you levelling at? Are
you allowing splits in the work? Are you sure that you haven't got
rounding errors taking the resource ever so slightly over 100% during
the course of the work.

If you think about what it means in practical terms, your resource will
have to stop work on one and start on the other, so if your levelling
granularity is less than the duration of the tasks, then the tasks will
have to be split. If you don't allow for this, you will be doomed from
the beginning.

 

[JulieS]

You're welcome, Björn, and thanks for the feedback. There are no
automatic methods of changing resource assignment units, that is up
to the person using Project to handle.

Julie

Hi Julie,

thanks for the quick response. I tried it with 80% and than it
works. But there is not only one task. There are many that should
run in parallel. I expected that the percent could be changed
in some way automatically.

Thanks,
Björn

Hello Björn,

Do you have Mike assigned at 80% to the other tasks? The
resource
leveling command will not change resource assignment units, so if
mike is assigned at above 80% I would expect to see the result in
the first example.

If you assign Mike at 80% to the other tasks, he will not be
overallocated, assuming his max. units are 100%.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information about Microsoft Project

Hello,

I have a resource working over a longer time period on the same
task with 20% of its time. In parallel the resource should work
on other tasks using the 80% rest time. My problem is that ms
project is scheduling the other tasks behind the 20% task when I
use auto leveling. It looks like it is not possible to use the
80% rest of the resource. After auto leveling it looks like
this:

|-----------------| mike[20%]
|------| mike

I would expect this result

|-----------------| mike[20%]
|--------| mike

The task takes a bit longer but is executed in parallel.
Is there an option how i can do this in ms project?

Thanks,
Björn

 

[Steve House]

Alas, Project never does adjust assignment percentages during leveling. All
it does is delay the work on a given task with the percentages intact.
That's why if you assign someone 100% to a task and then change their
Maximum Allocation in the resource sheet to 50%, their name will show up in
red but leveling will simply give you a message that says it can't fix it.
It does not automatically reduce them to 50% and double the task length -
you have to do that manually. Project doesn't know if it is even possible
for assignment percentages on a certain task to change so it doesn't do it.